There are very few individuals that have not experienced the inconvenience of entering into an automobile after parking the vehicle in the hot sun on a summer afternoon. Unless the vehicle is parked in the shade, the steering wheel and seating surfaces can reach intolerable temperatures. Even air conditioning may be too little and too late to avoid the onset of perspiration and discomfort.
The automobile industry has recognized this problem for some time, and has sought to minimize the adverse effects of the sun's radiant energy by providing tinted windows. This has provided only limited relief. Since tinting has the side effect of impairing the visibility through the windshield, especially during night driving, the degree to which tinting can be used to screen the vehicle's interior surfaces from the sun's rays is limited. To compensate for this limitation, mechanical shading devices have been designed to supplement or entirely replace window tinting.
One such device is a foldable cardboard window shade as suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,947. This window shade is typically stored in the trunk or rear seat of a motor vehicle and is opened by the driver and inserted between the dashboard and the windshield to block the sun's rays. Although this device is inexpensive to manufacture and provides an opaque surface for blocking sunlight, it is inconvenient to use, takes up valuable storage space in the motor vehicle, and provides an appearance which is typically inconsistent with the finish of the automobile.
In addition to foldable window shades, there are also a number of winding window shades or screens available. These shades operate substantially like a window shade used in a home--they are unwound from a winding core so that they cover an interior surface of one of the motor vehicle windows. Such shades are disclosed in Kauka, U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,198; Dieterich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,411; and Hodgson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,666. There are also a number of shades available which are applied directly to the windshield with suction cups and the like, such as the Deluxe Adjustable Sunscreen sold by Safety1st.
While such shades offer a measurable improvement in convenience over foldable cardboard shades, they also have the same tendency as cardboard shades to be inconsistent with the overall intended aesthetic appearance of the interior compartment. Automobile manufacturers have exerted much of their resources in recent years to provide a smooth flowing, unobstructed aesthetic appearance to the interior of motor vehicles. The concept of providing a rather bulky shade mounted to one of these smooth surfaces of the cabin would certainly be a setback to many of these designs.
More importantly, however, the use of bulky mechanical winding screens mounted to the window frame, or directly to the window, with hook and loop, suction cups, or mechanical fasteners, presents a safety risk. Because such devices normally block a portion of the driver's vision through the windshield, even when fully wound or closed, there may be an occasion where the driver's vision of an oncoming vehicle or pedestrian is blocked by such a device. If the driver's vision is impaired, even for a split second, the consequences could be tragic.
Additionally, during impact collisions, anything that is less than securely attached to the window frame or window glass can be detached and become a flying projectile. Unfortunately, most of the currently available mounting systems are not adequately designed to avoid the severance of the screen from its underlying supporting surface during an accident. Additionally, even if the screen is attached securely, the sharp edges that are common to many devices could present the risk of a head injury as the driver is thrown forward during an accident.
Accordingly, there is a need for a more discreet and aesthetically pleasing window screen to protect the interior compartment of motor vehicles from sunlight during storage of the vehicle outdoors in the hot sun. There is also a need for a window screen which can be secured to the motor vehicle in such a way as to avoid impairing the driver's vision or creating an unsafe condition during a collision.